First, Happy Halloween! Even though our little pumpkin is too young for Trick or Treating (or even having a clue that today is Halloween!), I still couldn’t resist dressing her in spirited gear. I think she looks pretty cute, but I might be a little biased. Second, I have to admit that in this house black and orange are not just colors you wear on October 31st. They are colors we rock all year long in support of our hometown team – the Cincinnati Bengals! Truth be told, when I saw this special bag of chocolate chips at Target the first thing that popped in my head was “Tailgate cookies!” Because who doesn’t like to eat delicious and spirited cookies while watching football? But it just so happened that I used the chocolate chips the day before Halloween, so holiday spirit works too. 🙂

If you are a fan of Sunny Side Up on Facebook (and why wouldn’t you be ;)), then you may have seen my post yesterday about my entire house smelling like chocolate. These cookies are the reason why my house smelled so delicious. They are called “Ultimate Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies” and the name is pretty much spot on. The cookies are rich with a crispy exterior and melt-in-your mouth fudgy interior. I used a bag of Halloween chips which were half orange-colored white chocolate and half semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use whatever chips you have on hand! All semi-sweet, all white chocolate, a mix of chopped up leftover Halloween candy… If it tastes good with chocolate, chances are it will taste good in these cookies!

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of butter. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together the remaining butter and brown sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl in between. Add the melted chocolate and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combine. Stir in chocolate chips.

Using a medium size cookie scoop, drop 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes then allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack. Definitely serve with a large glass of cold milk!

In the Weekend Dish Post I wrote on Sunday I talked about how crazy it is that it is already August. It’s not crazy just because it’s a month before my due date. And it’s not crazy just because it’s already the 8th month of the year. It’s also a little bit crazy because it’s my birthday month. And not just any birthday. My 30th birthday. The big 3 – 0. I have officially said goodbye to my 20s and hello to my 30s. I needed to celebrate. With cake. A rich, chocolatey, over-the-top cake.

This cake met all 3 of my birthday cake requirements. I was initially inspired by Cheesecake Factory’s Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake and I had hoped to recreate it, but the paranoid pregnant lady in me decided to avoid the eggs in the vanilla cream mousse. I think what I came up with instead was even better. Who doesn’t love a tall layered birthday cake?

*These amounts may seem a little weird, I adjusted the recipe so the cheesecake wouldn’t be too thick for stacking.

Directions
Preheat and oven to 300 degrees. Line an 8-inch spring form pan with a circle of parchment paper. Tightly wrap the outside of the pan with 2 sheets of foil.

In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and melted chocolate until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, salt, and sugar. Beat until well combined and smooth. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition, being careful not to over beat.

Pour the batter into the prepared spring form pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, turn the oven off and set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, crack the oven door and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for about 5 minutes, then remove and place on a rack to cool completely (Stepping down like this prevents cracks!). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night to cool completely.

Into a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a standing mixer), sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup combine the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. In another liquid measuring cup, add the butter to the hot coffee and stir to melt.

Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour in half of the buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed. Add half of the hot coffee mixture and beat on low speed. Repeat with the rest of the buttermilk and hot coffee. Beat just until combined.Scrape down sides of the bowl again and then beat for another 15 seconds.

Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then carefully flip out on to a wire rack (use a knife to loosen edges of the cake if necessary). Cool cake completely. (To store over night

Directions
In a very cold bowl of a standing mixer, beat the heavy cream with a whisk attachment until it just start to thicken and form soft peaks. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until the peaks stiffen up just a little bit. Add the vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds- 1 minute, or just until stiff peaks form. Keep chilled in the fridge until ready to use.

Directions
Place the first chocolate cake layer on the cake board. Drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp syrup and spread evenly across surface. Next, carefully place the cheesecake on top of the chocolate cake (it should be solid enough to carefully flip off of the spring form bottom, then just remove the parchment paper circle). Drizzle with syrup and spread across surface again. Top with the final chocolate cake layer. Drizzle with syrup and spread across surface. Frost with a thin layer of whipped cream frosting (crumb coat) and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. Top with a generous amount whipped cream frosting. Spread over cake and smooth out as desired. Place leftover frosting a pastry bag fitted with desired tip and pipe a border around the top (I used a Wilton 4B tip). If desired, place melted chocolate in a Ziploc bag and drizzle over top of cake in any pattern you like.

Today I’m participating in another virtual baby shower! This one is for my sweet friend Krystal, of Mrs. Regueiro’s Plate! She is on her way to 2 under 2! Last year she had a sweet baby girl, Elena, and now she is expecting another little one. When she was pregnant with Elena she was Team Green and it was torture waiting to find out what she had. Not knowing what she was having she lovingly referred to baby as Cookie. This time around they decided to find out ahead of time and they are having a baby boy! Of course it only seemed appropriate for him to have a fun foodie nickname as well, so he is lovingly referred to as Cupcake.

To honor Krystal and her little Cupcake, Eva has graciously offered to host this virtual shower. The theme is… cupcakes! So each of the shower participants is contributing a different cupcake recipe. Originally I was thinking of a more delicate cherry vanilla cupcake. Then I thought, she’s having a boy! He needs a strong and powerful cupcake. Thus was born the Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcake. Rich and chocolatey, sweet and salty, with a powerful presence.

Krystal, Elena, and me just a few weeks ago!

Krystal, I am so happy that we have become friends over these past few years. Your support and positive outlook has meant so much to me! I’m lucky to have a fellow SoCal blogging girl as a friend! Congratulations on your sweet baby boy. I can’t wait to meet him!!

Don’t forget to check out Eva’s blog to see the rest of the yummy cupcakes!

Place pretzel twists in the bowl of a food processor. Process in 15-20 second spurts until well broken up. Add the brown sugar and process for an additional 10 seconds to combine. Stream in the melted butter while processing

Press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Bake for 10 minutes, then allow to cool completely.

Directions
While the pretzel crusts are cooling, leave oven on heated to 350 degrees.

In a glass measuring cup, stir together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the butter and sugar. Whisk constantly until butter is melted and combined with the sugar and the mixture looks smooth and shiny. Pour into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until cooled to room temperature, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Next alternate adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the sour cream in 2 additions (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). Mix just until combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the tins (mine were a little more than 2/3 full, I was a little worried they may spill over, but they rose perfectly and stayed in their liners). Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Directions
Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature then refrigerate until solid. Once solid, place in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat until light and fluffy and a good texture for piping.

These cookies are what would happen if traditional roll-out sugar cookies married brownies and they had a baby. A brownie roll-out cookie baby. The are thick and sturdy but still soft and chewy. Deb (from Smitten Kitchen) says you can roll them 1/8″ or 1/4″ thick, but I agree with her that I like them better on thicker side. You will really be impressed with how well they roll-out and cut (unless of course you’re using XOXO cookie cutters which happen to be the biggest PIA ever).

For Valentine’s day I decided to skip the icing/frosting and leave ’em naked! 😉 But they are really ideal for royal icing. They would also make for an excellent ice cream sandwich cookie! Or the perfect pair for a cherry buttercream! Or you could follow Jesse’s lead and smear one with peanut butter then top with a second cookie. You really can’t go wrong with these versatile little cookies.

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

In a large bowl (or standing mixer) cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, beat to incorporate. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Turn mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until a solid/smooth dough forms. Form dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for an hour.

While the dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.

After chilling, place dough on a lightly floured surface (a pastry mat or sheet of parchment paper dusted with flour is perfect) and roll, using a lightly floured rolling pin, to 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into shapes. Combine and re-roll scraps as needed. Use as little flour as necessary for each step.

Place cut out cookies 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-11 minutes Allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to coll completely.

Hi! I’m Jessica. I love cooking, baking, eating, and talking about food. My goal is to make cooking and baking, even from scratch, seem approachable. If I can give just one person the boost they need to try something new in the kitchen, I’ll be happy.